Life lately

Random: our packed lunch yesterday

We finally sold our condo!
THANK YOU LOOOOORD! After 3 months in the market (OLX, Lamudi, FB Marketplace), we finally sealed the deal with a buyer who found the ad from OLX. This is crazy. I didn't think real estate was a promising investment. When my husband bought the unit 3 years ago, we thought this is where we're gonna live in the future. It was exciting, in a way. We're getting a property! The adult in us cries in validation. But eventually, the idea became quite unattractive because I realized I didn't want to live in a cramped studio with barely any ventilation and a stoic view of the city. We both changed our minds and thought, ehh we can just rent it out instead. But then we learned that's it's not so wise to do that when you only have one property to rent. At best we're just going to break even with the monthly repayment of our housing loan. Which would take maybe 20 years to pay. Not very profitable. And so we decided to sell it instead. Best decision ever. January this year we put the property up for sale. Our target is to sell it before August because by then we would have to apply for a housing loan and be in debt for 20++ years. Thank God it didn't take so long. In two months we got a sure buyer already and we're so happy to have finally removed a liability from our lives lol. Happy 200+ articles to me!
I believe I haven't celebrated here yet hahaha. Come June and I'll be celebrating my first year anniversary with my writing sideline. Lol until now I still don't know how to call it. Client? So far I've written 206 articles of varying topics. I can't believe was able to do that, honestly. Like what the heck do I know about repairing a damaged lawn, or taking care of your fish tank? But Google truly proved to be a good good friend. It has all the information I need to deliver my job. So yeah, that's over 103,000 words written in the past 11 months! :O I'm not claiming to be a good writer but I believe I'm capable enough to take writing jobs (except academic) bwahaha. My personal record in writing a 500-word article is 1 hour. And that's if the topic can be filled with pambobola lol and is under lifestyle and fashion like, '5 tips to wear a little black dress', or '5 fashion trends you wouldn't want to miss this 2018'. That happens rarely though. I've done it only around 5 times out of the 206 articles I have so far. My average is maybe 2.5hours per article, depends on how pressured (aka I'm late for the deadline) and how focused I am. This job still takes a majority of my sidelines and I'm glad it does because it's not so uhm magastos sa utak unlike designing which really saps my brain and keeps my neurons firing even when I sleep argh.

I finalehh found a milk frother!
5 months ago I was so eager to try bulletproof coffee every morning. So I knew I had to get myself a frother to be able to enjoy the drink better. FB people says there are cheap ones are Daiso and Japan Home but they're always out of stock. Last weekend I got lucky. I FOUND A FROTHER I almost cried, seriously! And my goodness when I tried it, it's maaaaagicc!!! The butter and coconut oil really creates a frothy and creamy substance on top of my drink. And it's really super creamy and milky. I super duper love it. Eh yun nga lang ubos na coconut oil ko huhuhu. Why isn't Laurin coco MCT oil in major supermarkets! It's the best VCO, it's doesn't make you gag.

Err that's it for now. I have so many pending articles to do. Argh.

5 Facts You Should Know About the Pest Removal Process

Photo from Pixabay

Once you've identified some unwanted houseguests, it's time to enlist the help of a pest removal company. Whether you have a nest of insects or one or more furry rodents running around, you may need to ask yourself: "Where can I find wildlife pest control near me?" Once you've identified a provider, here are some things you need to know about preparing your home before, during and after the removal process. 1. Knowing Where the Pests Are Can Speed Up Your Inspection

When you call for the exterminators, they will do an inspection of your home. To give them a better idea of where to focus, point to different signs of infestations such as bite marks, suspicious cracks or webs.

2. Most Removal Methods Have Options

Most pests can be removed by more than one method, so ask which ones your Austin exterminator provides. There could be different treatments, tools or traps based on allergies in your home or other requirements you have.

3. Some Methods Pose a Risk to Pets and Kids

It is important to maintain a safe distance while an exterminator removes wildlife from your house. In some cases, you will need to be gone for a few days, such as with certain termite treatments. Keep kids and pets away from the affected area to avoid compromising the process or putting anyone in harm's way.

4. These Risks May Linger After the Fact

If certain treatment agents are used and meant to soak into the ground around your home, be sure to ask if these areas are safe for kids and pets to play in. It is a good idea to ask any other questions you may have while the exterminator is there, such as how to prevent these pests from coming back and what signs to look for if they do.

5. You Can Get Back in Touch if the Pests Return

Before the exterminator leaves, ask if they offer a free review of your property at  later date to ensure the treatment agent took effect. This could include asking how to get in touch when a trap is activated or you spot another nest. Some companies offer a free one-year inspection, especially if your pest is the type to return on a seasonal basis.

Pest removal is the best option when you spot unwelcomed guests. Whether insect or rodent, letting these pests make themselves at home could lead to a population explosion. Calling an exterminator means getting ready for the wildlife removal process by considering the safety of your family and your pets.

Make life easier and travel with an always charged phone

Photo from Tylt

From little toddlers to elderlies, almost everyone is using some kind of electronic devices such as a tablet, a mobile phone, a laptop, etc. The thing that keeps the devices working and alive is the battery. The phone needs a charged battery for us to use e.g. making and receiving calls, texting messages, going online, downloading and watching movie on youtube, etc. We sometimes forget that battery’s life is so precious and we take it for granted until it goes totally flat or died on us when we are in the middle of something important or exciting! In the old days, mobile phones were non-existent. But in our modern age, once a person started using a mobile phone and finds it so useful, that person could not do without the phone. Some public places made charging stations available to anyone who needs to charge their phone’s battery. But what happens if we need to use the phone with very low battery urgently and we find that there is no where we can charge the battery? It can be very frustrating if we need to reach out to someone urgently or for someone trying to reach us in times of emergency.

 

Photo from Tylt

Fortunately, there are now portable power banks, portable chargers, wireless chargers, and power bags available in the market to make our life easier. For those who are always on the move, living an active life, or spending time away from home or the office, getting a backpack with power bank is the best thing that can happen to you.

Photo from Tylt

Let us say that you are travelling and before you reach the hotel, a warning tone came through the phone to warn of a low battery. You are waiting for an important call from your client and you can’t afford to miss that call. Your stress level went up worrying whether the battery will last in case the call comes in. Other stressful incidents such as having a low battery just before a phone interview, watching and waiting for the final goal of your favourite game, in the middle of a computer game when you are expected to win, etc.

A power bag is a bag which doubles as a mobile charging stations or is a backpack that charges phone and other electronic devices at the same time. We can use it to carry our laptop, tablet, mobile phone, cables and accessories, etc. and at the same time use it to charge our electronic devices anytime, and anywhere. With a power bag, our phone and devices stay fully charged!

[Review] Converge FiberX Plan 1500

JANUARY 2021 UPDATE - OUR BANDWIDTH INCREASED!

Okay I think I've forgiven Converge ever since the October downtime. They were reliable naman for the most part but when they go down, ang tagal ng downtime so it's very difficult to trust them completely. Better have a backup plan, in our case a GOMO sim. Anyway, they promised to increase everyone's speed last year and I only got to confirm it early January. I don't know if it's their way of making up to us or whatever but here's our current speed tests. From 25Mbps we now average 40-50Mbps, sometimes it'll even burst to 70Mbps.

Yun nga lang I noticed how big the gap is between Download and Upload speeds. Fiber is known for having the same, if not almost the same, up and down speeds so I wonder what they did that made the gap this big. Did they secretly downgrade our lines to DSL during that long downtime, and pretended to offer free upgrade so we wouldn't notice or even care? LOL I'm just speculating here feel free to correct me. Though personally I couldn't care less about fiber or DSL as long as I'm getting fast and stable internet connection for the same price. But still, they'd be lying to us if this isn't real fiber.

OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE - 24HRS++ DOWNTIME!!!

And I thought they're doing okay this quarantine but the unexpected outage on OCTOBER 29 which lasted MORE THAN 24HOURS is terribly unacceptable for an ISP and also deeply traumatizing as a for people working from home. The dropped meetings, wasted leaves, and completely unresponsive support team leave no second chances for this damned company.

WARNING if ever you're considering getting them, DO NOT PROCEED, it's a damn waste of time and money. Considering we live so near their headquarters, it's horrifying how slow they responded to the incident and how long it took them to fix OUR ENTIRE AREA'S CONNECTION. Yup, our entire condo and a big round of Pasig neighborhoods got affected. Now that almost everyone is working from home it's a grave disservice to even get an hour of LOS. Imagine the amount of business lost in an hour, multiply that by 24hours and you get a massive outrage at how horrendously incompetent Converge is becoming day after day.

Your clients don't deserve this, Converge. How do you plan to compensate for the lost hours?

-----

ORIGINAL POST - APRIL 2018

 This review will cover our experience in getting Converge FiberX installed at our place in Mandaluyong. From initial inquiry to installation and finally to some speed tests, I'll be documenting them all here. Gist: it took 2 months and it's worth it.

I've been collecting updates and updating this post every now and then whenever I hear back from Converge. It's a good thing the wait is finally over!

We applied for FiberX 1500 which boasts of real unlimited data (no capping) with up to 25Mbps burst speed, for only ₱1,500 per month. It's their cheapest fiber plan. Additional claims: 30% minimum speed and 80% reliability. So if that's correct we should be getting no less than 6Mbps for this service. I hope so! February 19, 2018 - Initial inquiry
Called their hotline at (02) 667-0848. Waited 3 minutes in queue. Talked to the sales rep for about a minute regarding the requirements and installation fee and if our condo is truly fiber equipped. I gave my email address and she immediately sent the list of requirements and the application form.

If you're inquiring for the first time here's a list of important questions you should ask. It pays to list down all your concerns cos it's a pain to wait in queue again!

1. Is my area fiber equipped?
2. How much is the installation fee?
3. How much is the initial cash out?
4. Is the modem/router included?
5. Is there a lock-in period?
6. Is there a pre-termination fee?
7. How long does it take to get approved?

Thankfully, most of the information you need is already on their website, so there's really not much to ask on the phone unless you can't read didn't do your research. It's also important to have your email address ready and learn to spell it out using the NATO phonetic alphabet (oscar kilo?). As in. Learning to spell in phonetics can save you from frustration especially when giving out information through phone hahaha.

If possible, get the rep's local number so you can skip the queue if you need to call again.

Here's what I got. There's a fixed rate of ₱2,500 per installation regardless of our unit's distance from the fiber box. There's also 1 month security deposit equivalent to your MSF (monthly service fee). All those to be paid in full upon approval of our application, which could take 2-3 days. So basically we have to cash out ₱4,000 before installation.

Since we're renting a condo unit we were required to submit a Certificate of Residency in lieu of Proof of Billing. The CoR can be acquired from the condo admin. In my case, it only took less than 10mins, so no biggie.

February 21, 2018 - Submitted requirements
Here's everything I sent through email:
1. Filled out and signed application form (front and back)
2. 1 valid government ID with 3 specimen signatures (I used my UMID)
3. Scanned copy of our Certificate of Residency
4. First page of our Lease Agreement (un-notarized draft copy 'cos we couldn't find the original lol)
5. Screenshot of our exact location via Google Earth

February 22, 2018 - Application routed
Received email confirmation that my application has been forwarded to concerned departments for port reservation and validation of documents.

February 23, 2018 - No available facility
Received an email from our sales rep that the nearest facility to our area is not available and that they're waiting for an additional facility to be installed.

I called to clarify what it meant and here's what I learned from the agent who got my call. Their fiber box is only limited to 8-12 ports, once it's full and a new application from the same area is received, that's the time they arrange for a new facility to be installed. Sad part is, it could take 3-5 months to get notified of a new facility, and that's a painfully agonizing wait for us. At least I'm assured that they'll really get into installing a new fiber box. And that there's only 8-12 of us sharing a box.

For now I bought Globe at Home Prepaid Wifi huhu.

So yeah, this entry is not yet finished. Unless we give up waiting for them hehe, which is very likely. I mean, I just thought about it. I don't think it's practical to get Fiber when you're just renting. You have a 24-month contract with them and if ever you move out during contract period you have to re-install your fiber connection (+₱2,500) to your new place and make sure the fiber box on your new location isn't full. Haaaaaassle! For now we got Globe at Home Prepaid Wifi. It sucks.

March 26, 2018 - Kept following up
A month after I was informed that there's no available slot, I emailed the sales agent assigned to me if there's any news so far. I could be rushing a bit but I still wanted to take my chances hehe. She didn't reply. I followed up again after 2 weeks. And again, she didn't reply. So I did the next best thing I could think of that doesn't involve calling their hotline, I re-applied online.

April 11, 2018 - Applied again urgh
Funny how I didn't think of just applying online in the first place, their website already has an application form. If you go to their self service site here you can apply for a connection online. I submitted a valid ID, a selfie of me holding it, and a Certificate of Residency (in lieu of Proof of Billing). At this point I just wanted to push my application up, in case they forgot about it.

Looks like they did, because the following day, a sales agent reach out to me to confirm whether our unit is at the left or right wing. I already answered this in my previous application so I'm thinking they didn't backtrack and thought I was a new applicant. Argh. Either way, I wasn't sure which wing we're on. Our building layout doesn't indicate a left/right wing, and when we asked PMO, they confirmed that there's no left/right wing in our tower, and that it doesn't matter which wing we're on because all the wiring will come from one place. I replied to the agent and said that we're probably on the right wing because when I come out of the elevator, I turn to the right LOL.

And then they said to wait 2-3 days to validate my application.

April 15, 2018 - Finally received a payment notification
This is it! We finally have a slot! I received an email containing my account number and instructions for initial payment. I'm worried if being on the left or right wing matters, because what if we're actually on the left wing? Can't we be accommodated anymore? Anyway I don't care.

They gave me an account number and a deadline of 7 days to pay the initial cash-out worth ₱4,000, otherwise our slot may be forfeited, malas naman na I have no 4k to spare at the moment huhu. Hay jusko. So yun lang, we'll see. Really hope we'll get connected asap. Worst case scenario is that we push with Converge but our landlord refuses to extend our lease. Homaygas.

April 17, 2018 - Paid the initial fee
I used my credit card to pay for the connection fee and security deposit worth 4k. In fairness, Converge offers really convenient payment channels. For the initial payment, you have to access their e-billing portal and select your payment method from there. For the monthly recurring fee you can use any of these methods:

April 21, 2018 - Installation day

I thought I'd give it a week to follow up on my payment, but surprisingly, this morning I received a text message from one of their crew asking if it's okay to install today. Like right now. My husband and I had plans for the day but in our excitement to get connected, of course what's a few hours of delay?! And so I rushed to our admin to get a work permit for them. They got here around 10am and finished installing in 2 hours.

I can't believe it!!! They're finally heeere! They attached a small square panel (ano bang tawag don) beside the outlet that connects the telephone line to the router. 

Fortunately, the electrical room is right outside our unit so I guess that helped speed up their communication? The crew who came to our place were very nice as well, and the kuya said if we ever run into any problems we can contact him directly. They capped off the installation by activating our line by calling their office. The entire process took roughly 2 hours.

Aaaaand we're done! WAAAAH!!!

Speed Tests (via Speedtest.net)

Date	Time	Location	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)	Ping (ms)
04/22/2018	1:00 AM	Mandaluyong	25.37	18.96	3
04/23/2018	3:11 PM	Mandaluyong	24.7	23.8	3
05/14/2018	11:18 PM	Mandaluyong	20.78	23.48	2
05/31/2018	3:47 AM	Mandaluyong	24.00	24.00	2
06/06/2018	2:14 AM	Mandaluyong	19.90	24.20	2
07/11/2018	3:00 PM	Mandaluyong	Unexpected Down Time	Up by 6:00pm	N/A
07/23/2018	4:45 PM	Mandaluyong	23.7	12.8	3
08/03/2018	2:00 AM	Mandaluyong	Network Maintenance	Up by 4:00am	N/A
12/12/2018	4:00 PM	Mandaluyong	24.0	24.0	4
05/03/2019	6:59 AM	Mandaluyong	24.8	24.2	2
10/29/2020	6:59 AM	Mandaluyong	Unexpected Down Time	Up after more than 24hrs	2
11/17/2020	10:00 AM	Mandaluyong	Unexpected Down Time	Up after more than 12hrs	2

We've been exploiting the thing ever since we got connected. It's really freaking fast. We can finally binge on Netflix and get ourselves a Smart TV! Note that we're not gamers okay, so understand that my experience does not speak for the lot. I've heard and read complaints about lagging during playing and I can't vouch for that really 'cos like I said, we're not gamers hehe. At the very least we watch tons of Netflix and Youtube, browse social media, play Clash Royale, download movies via torrent, and occasionally work from home using remote desktop/citrix applications --- with our current online needs Converge is definitely reliable. :)

How to Help Prevent a Pest Infestation this Summer

Photo from Pixabay

Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy your home, but it’s also the prime season for common pests such as ants, termites, cockroaches, and mosquitos to invade. Prevention starts well in advance of warm weather’s arrival, but it’s also a year-round effort. Paying attention to regular household maintenance and partnering with reputable pest companies are two vital strategies for avoiding a summer infestation. Housekeeping Essentials Inside Your Home

Not all pests are alike, nor are they attracted to your home by the exact same things. However, the bottom line is that most are either seeking food, shelter, or a place to reproduce. Good housekeeping practices can eliminate many of these temptations. Since your kitchen is often ground zero for your war on pests, you can stop future invasions by:

• Keeping counters, floors and other surfaces clean
• Follow proper food storage methods
• Remove trash on a frequent basis

Spaces such as bedrooms, living rooms, and dens should also be kept clutter-free. Keep in mind that undisturbed boxes that contain paper goods, clothing, or other organic materials might draw moths, silverfish, and other undesirable creatures.

Outdoor Pest Prevention Tips 

Stopping insects from coming indoors begins with a smart plan for exterior maintenance. Standing water may attract egg-laying mosquitoes that can show up in the spring, so be diligent in eliminating it from buckets, bird baths, uneven terrain, or other sources on your property. Also, firewood should be kept far away from your house, and make sure you inspect outdoor furniture and sheds on a regular basis. Finally, inspect your walls and doors regularly for cracks, holes, or gaps where pests can enter and repair them as soon as possible.

Rely on Expert Pest Control Treatment

You’d probably call pest control specialists when you have a problem, but these professionals are also part of your first lines of defense to avoid infestations in the first place. Armed with advanced methods for detection, control, and prevention, technicians have the expertise to inspect your home, diagnose issues, pinpoint potential weak spots, and develop a plan to help keep your home safe and comfortable all year long.

Pest Control is dedicated to helping you stop pests in their tracks and keeping your home a safe haven. For more than nine decades, it has delivered industry-leading expertise and a blend of trained inspectors, quality products and professional services. Start your search of “exterminators near me” and get the issue handled quickly!

3 Ways to help you get back on track after breaking your diet rules

Photo from Pixabay

When you are on a diet, in order to achieve some goal such as weight loss or maintaining a healthy and fit body, you endeavor to stick to your diet plan. You must also do some work out to burn the excess calories so that your dieting efforts are complemented. To make all those efforts result in a great success, you can consider taking some well-researched steroids which can be oral ones such as oral turinabol that help in promoting efficient calories breakdown and development of lean muscles. You can also go for steroide that are administered through injection and are deemed more effective than the oral ones. You can easily purchase the various steroids at https://acheter-steroid.org/ which is one of the best online steroids shop for quality, and affordable steroids and is very convenient.

As you observe your diet, there are instances you may go against your set diet. A good case in point is when you attend an event like a family party and you indulge in what you consider unhealthy foods. When you cheat on your diet, more often than not you will get weighed down by guilt feelings and feel like you have failed terribly. So how do you bounce back after a cheat day (or days in case of a weekend or a vacation)? Here are some tips on how you can get back on track and continue pursuing your goal:

1. Find out what led to your poor food choices

You must interrogate yourself whether you are being too restrictive on yourself, or feeling denied of some things you deem very important and if the diet choice you have made is in line with your goals. You need to remind yourself of the reason why taking a healthy diet is important to you and drop the thought that you are doing it because your doctor advised you to do so, or because you want to be like a certain celebrity. The motivation should come from you, or else you will find it hard choosing what you think is good for you or for achieving your goal instead of what you feel you really want.

You need to examine your life and understand what other things you could be struggling with and led you to use food to ‘comfort’ yourself as it is usually the case. Do you have financial issues or are lonely?  You can try doing meditation or have a talk therapy or some other activities to calm or relax your mind. Check whether your environment puts you in situations that will make you go against your diet. Maybe you have friends that avail the foods you chose to drop.

2. Drop the mentality of cheating on your eating pattern

You must have a change of mindset from the diet approach in which you set some strict diet rules to achieve certain promised and mostly aesthetic goals. The truth is that dieting is just restrictive and dropping it is the best thing. Once you drop the diet mindset, you stop having rules thus there are no rules to be broken. You get guiding principles on the selections you make or towards some objective like shedding excess weight. You take charge of things and substitute the guilt and restrictions with freedom and choice.

3. Forgive yourself and carry on eating healthily

No amount of thrashing yourself can undo whatever you have done. However, you can take some lessons from the ‘mistakes’.  Being conscious of all your actions can assist you to identify what leads you to make the choices you do. This can help you understand the origin of your cravings and the decisions. You should then let go of the guilt or forgive yourself and move on to achieve your goals.

Today

Privilege, entitlement, and first world problems

This afternoon, our company had a function at The Penthouse 8747. The place is nice. Mahangin. The couches are comfy. The view is great. Except for this eyesore of a building construction inside Ayala Triangle that threatens to consume the only remaining patch of green in this frkn district. Unless they're building a multi-level botanical garden, which is highly unlikely, I hope they consider the environmental implications of crowding the city with more dead blocks. Ayala needs more life (that is not human). They're building monsters. Back to The Penthouse. They served cocktails. Thin-ass pizza, malnourished chicken tenders, and mini crab cakes. They all tasted great. But the portions were too small. Having a controlled pica pica buffet sounds a bit too much for me. We already can't eat a lot, and still you control it by serving much less. It'd be more effective if they laid out saucers instead of regular plates. Funny thing is, I was okay when they started serving. They'd give two of each. At least to the people in front of me. When it was my turn to receive their breaded goodness, a new waiter appeared, "Pre, isa isa lang". And so my plate was bare.

Anywaaay. I came back for round two so I'm definitely not complaining.... yet.

Until I got sleepy and felt the need to buy some coffee. I borrowed money and stepped out a bit to buy a medium cup of brewed coffee from 7-Eleven. It's only 29 pesos. Havey. I love City Blends. When I came back, the guard at The Penthouse won't let me in. "Ma'am bawal po magdala nyan sa loob", referring to my cheap coffee. Boy was I hurt. And it hurt more because I know one of my colleagues inside was able to bring in a venti drink from Starbucks, it was sitting right across me before I left.

Even though I could say that 1) we have a reservation, and 2) but you allowed outside coffee inside.... I decided not to argue because I was feeling super sleepy. And besides, my phone is dying so I wouldn't have anything to do inside. I decided to go back to the office, feeling defeated and dejected. I wish I had a privilege card I could play, damn that would be useful. It's during these times I know having privilege and influence would work. I got no pretty card, no sex-appeal card, no intimidating card, no well-dressed card, and apparently no starbucks card. These are just a few of the cards that grants you access to places even if you don't ask. So what's an overweight, poorly dressed girl holding cheap coffee's gotta do? Play the nice card and leave. It's all I got.

But of course, to let off some steam, I did a very offended-millennial thing. Duh, I ranted on Instagram.

I was just joking ofc. Rules are rules. But The Penthouse replied and apologized, even sending me a pic of who I thought brought outside coffee inside. It was their staff. I clarified by saying that's not who I was referring to, and that it was a fellow guest they allowed to bring coffee in. They probably just missed it. And of course I just had to let my mind wander to privilege and discrimination charot.